Spark-deflector.



W. G.. SEARS. SPARK DEFLEGTOR. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 4, 1913.

1,101,887, Patented June 30, 191i 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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vflmeooeo I Sea/9S 1 v 69 w M 11 COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH C0. WASHINGTON. D. c.

W. G. SEARS. SP ARK DEPLEGTOR. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 4, 1913.

1, 1 01,887, Patented June 30, 1914 2 SHEETSSHEBT 2.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH 60.,WASHXNGTON. D. c.

WILLIAM G. SEARS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

SPARK-DEFLECTOR.

$pecification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 30, 191%.

Application filed November 4, 1913. Serial No. 799,251.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, W'lLLIAM G. SEARS, citizen of the United States, Philadelphia, county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented an Improvement in Spark-Deflectors, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a construction of spark deflector for locomotives which may be readily put into or out of action with facility, whereby when the locomotive is passing through places where there are inflammable or combustible materials, such as stored cotton for example, the device may be adjusted so as to deflect the sparks and cause them to fall down about the locomotive (instead of being projected into the air by the exhaust blast of the smoke stack), and at the same time, permit the gases and smoke to freely escape; or on the other hand, when the zone of danger is passed, the deflector may be otherwise adjusted so as to permit an absolutely free unobstructed it, the sparks from the smoke stack.

More specifically, my object is to provide a construction of spark deflector of the fore going character, when so combined with an.

operative chain or cable that a pull or jerk upon it will unlock the movable deflecting portion and throw it into an unobstructing position; and reversely, a similar pull or jerk upon the chain or cable will cause the deflector to be thrown into deflecting or obstruct-ing position to deflect the sparks and also relock itself.

My invention consists of features of construction in a spark deflector by which the foregoing objects may be secured, the construction being and defined in the claims.

My invention will be better understood by 7 reference to the drawings, in wh1ch:-

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a spark deflector applied to a locomotive and embodying my improvements; Fig. 2cis a sectional elevation of the same taken on line seem, Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same; Fig. l is a sectional elevation showing the details of construction on a larger scale;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a portion of the automatic lock; and Fig. 6 is an elevation of a detail.

2 is an annular ring of angle iron and constitutes the top support for the conical woven wire apron 3, the lower and larger and resident of apron is exhaust and with fully described hereinafter diameter of which is riveted to the rim band a. Extending down from the top ring 2" are four supports 5 having oflsets or shoulders 6 which rest upon the upper edge of the smoke stack 7 of the locomotive, While the free ends 5' of the supports extend down into the interior of the stack and thereby positionthe structure in a vertical direction and support it against lateral displacement. To sec-ul'e'this conical screen apron structure to the smoke stack, I provide a clamplng band made up of three curved bars 9 flanged at their ends, as at 10, said flanged ends clamped together in pairs by bolts 11. The ring band so formed is, by the clamping act-ion of the bolts 11, clamped tightly upon the stack 7 Bars 8 have their lower ends connected to the bolts 11 between the respective pairs of flanges 10, and their upper ends extend outwardly and are riveted or otherwise fastened to the rim band 4.

It will be seen that the conical screen a frustum of a hollow cone, and its top is provided with a circular opening of approximately the diameter of opening in the smoke stack so that, unless otherwise prevented, the locomotive may exhaust freely through this opening, just as if there were no spark deflector employed, this be ing the condition for normal running of the locomotive when out of the danger zone.

Fit-ting upon the top ring 2 is a circular ring plate 13 to which the edge of the defleeting cone 14 is riveted and this may also have an upper ring plate 15 riveted in place so as to shield and protect the woven edges of screen forming the cone. These ring plates 13 and 15 are riveted to one leaf of the hinge 16, the other leaf being riveted to the structure of the conical apron in any suitable manner. This hinge 16 is preferably arranged at the rear side of the apron structure and so that the deflector cone 29 may be held either in the deflecting position shown in full lines, or out tion as shown in dotted lines. When the deflector is in the deflecting position, the cone thereof extends downward centrally over the smoke stack but somewhat above it; and

of deflecting posi- I or perforated desired.

lVhen the deflector l-l is in deflecting position, as shown in full lines, it is locked, so that the blast of the exhaust through the stack cannot force it open until it has been first unlatched. To cause the locking of the deflector, I pivot to the upper surface of its ring 15, a lever 17, which is provided with a downwardly extending latch end 18 having a projection 19 which engages the under part of the keeper or lug 20 on the upper ring 2 of the apron These engaging parts are somewhat relatively inclined sheet metal may be used, if so so as to make engagement easily accomplished. The lever 17 is pivoted at 23 and has its oscillatory movement limited by a pin 21 fixed to the ring 15 and a slot 22 on the lever (Fig. 5). To operate the deflector, I provide the following devices: An arm 25 is pivoted at 31 to the base or lower ring 12 of the apron structure and its other or free end is connected with a curvedlinl'; 2s through a universal joint device 26; the other end of the link being hinged to the inner end of the locking lever 17. The universal joint device 26 is attached to a chain 27, which extends upward and between two grooved guide rollers 28 and 29, and thence backward to cab of the engine (not shown). The guide rollers are journaled one above the other in a frame 30, said frame being substantially angular with the bottom of the vertical part riveted to the ring 12 at bottom of the apron, and the horizontal part connected to the ring 2 at the top of the apron. I have shown this particular mechanism for operating the deflector because I have found it simple and effective in prac tice, but I do not restrict myself thereto as other means may be provided for accomplishing the same purposes.

The operation will now be understood. When the deflector 14: is closed, as shown, the outward blasts from the stack cause the sparks and the accompanying hot cin ders to strike against the cone 1*]: and be deflected sidewise; and these, by striking the conical apron 8, are again deflected downward out of the zone of blast and fall harmlessly to the ground. The gases and smoke, on the other hand, freely pass through the interstices in the woven wire of which the parts 3 and 14 are formed, thereby avoiding very material back pressure. To open the deflector, the engineer erks upon the chain 27, and this lifts the arm 25 and imparts an upward motion to the link 24 at the bottom. As the top of this link cannot rise, it is forced sidewise and oscillates the latch lever 17 to unlatch it from the keeper or lug 20,after which, the pull upon the chain assisted by the blast from the stack throws the deflector l l open to the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig, 1. l

combination make it engage its keeper 20; In this closing operation, the lever 25, at its free end, is moved upward back of the axis of the hinge 16 and by the link 24,, pulls the hinged deflector upward and forward about its said hinge l6.

\Vhile I have, for convenience, described my invention as having a conical apron and a conical deflector, it is manifest that this is not to be understood as strictly limiting these part-s to true circles in plan, as a circle is only a polygon with an infinite number of sides; and I therefore, in using the words conical or frustum of a cone as applied to these parts, include all equivalents which might be considered as mathematical cones, that is to say, the shape in plan may be any regular polygon which would properly fit above a smoke stack, and secure the objects of the invention.

I have shown my spark deflector apparatus, as a. whole, of the construction I have found most satisfactory for accomplishing the objects of my invention, but I wish it to be understomil that the details may be varied without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In aspark deflector apparatus, the of a conical apron open at the top and bottom, supporting and clamping devices for securing it in position upon the top of a smoke stack, an inverted conical deflector formed of meshed metal and hinged to the side of the open top and extending downward into the space inclosed by the apron and arranged to be turned upward and outward upon the outside of the apron, a jointed lever device of two members the free end of one member hinged to the apron and the free end of the other member hinged to the deflector, a chain or cord attached to the jointed lever device intermediate of its hinged points and extending to a dis tance for operating the deflector, and aguide for the chain or cord positioned on the apron adjacent to its upper portion for causing an upward pull upon the jointed lever device.

2. In a spark deflector apparatus, the combination of a conical apron open at the top and bottom, supporting and clamping devices for securing it in position upon the top of a smoke stack, an inverted conical deflectcr formed of meshed metal and hinged to the side of the open top and extending downward into the space inclosed by the apron and arranged to be turned upward and outward upon the outside of the apron, a jointed lever device the free end of one member hinged tothe apron and the free end of the other member hinged tothe deflector, a chain or cord attached to the jointed lever device intermediate of its hinged points and extending to a distance for operating the deflector, a latch operated by the jointed lever device for latching and unlatching the deflector when in closed position, and a guide for the chain or cord positioned on the apron adjacent to its upper portion for causing an upward pull upon the jointed lever device.

3. In a spark deflector apparatus, the combination of asmoke stack, an apron arranged above the smoke stack formed like a frustum of a hollow cone and having its topor smaller end provided with an opening as large in area as the opening from the smoke stack, an inverted conical deflector of meshed metal filling said top opening in the apron and hinged at one side to the apron so as to be able to be thrown upward and back entirely to one side of the opening of the apron, means for holding the conical deflector in closed position, and means extending to a distance for throwing the defiector to either its closed or open positions.

at. In a spark deflector apparatus, the combination of a smoke stack, an apron arranged above the smoke stack formed like a frustum of a hollow cone and having its top or smaller end provided with an opening as large in area as the opening from the smoke stack, an inverted conical deflector of meshed metal filling said top opening in the apron and hinged at one side to the apron so as to be able to be thrown upward and back entirely toone side of the opening of the apron, means for holding the conical deflector in closed position comprising a pivoted locking lever hinged to the clefiector, and means extending to a distance for throwing the deflector toeither its closed or open positions said means consisting of a pair of jointed members one hinged to the apron near its bottom and the other hinged to the pivoted locking lever, a chain or cord connected to the jointed members adjacent to their jointed connection, and a guide through which the chain or cord is guided so as to cause the said chain or cord to direct the pull upward in a direction between the hinged points of the ends of the jointed members.

5. In a spark deflector apparatus, the combination of an upper annular member, a lower annular member, an apron of meshed metal secured to said members and open at the top and the bottom, uprights secured to said'upper annular member and having offsets intermediate the respective ends, said uprights being adaptedito partially enter a stack and seat said oflsets upon the rim of said stack, a ring clamp mounted upon said stack, connecting bars between said ring clamp and said lower annular member to hold said offsets firmly seated, an inverted conical deflector of meshed metal hinged to one side of the upper annular member and means for opening and closing said deflector.

6. In a spark deflector apparatus, the combination of a smoke stack, an apron arranged above the smoke stack formed like the frustum of a hollow cone and having its top or smaller end provided with an opening, an inverted conical deflector of meshed metal filling said top opening into said apron and hinged to said apron in order to be thrown upward and back entirely to one side of the opening of said apron, a lever operatively connected to said deflector, a pair of rollers suitably mounted adjacent. said apron, and a chain or cord between said rollers and adapted to partially encircle one roller in open position of said deflector, whereby an operative movement of said chain either opens or closes said deflector.

In testimony of which invention I hereunto set my hand.

WVILLIAM G. SEARS. WVitnesses R. M. HUNTER, HORACE D. REEVE.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

